In celebration of the 87th birthday of John Coltrane, Okayplayer presents a musical retrospective on the musical icon whose timeless catalog has placed him at an almost unreachable height atop the food chain of jazz giants. His image - one of a man at rest or in perpetual concert with his instrument - stands as the unofficial face of the genre from Impulse album covers to stock footage, while his sound has remained an institution for rising musicians hoping to capture the soul stirring force of his sax in performance, influencing generation after generation of young lions in all forms of music, a centering reference point for artists as diverse as Pharoahe Monch, Christian Scott and Flying Lotus.
While Coltrane exists in lockstep with a handful of innovative contemporaries, he may be the only musician amongst them whose recordings would later be assigned the power of divination usually attributed to proto-jazz hymns and old time healers whose primal energy conjured spirits and laid souls bare; Coltrane's death prompted the formation of the Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church in San Francisco while his music remains a place reserved for meditation and catharsis amongst others.
In celebrating his impact on the modern musical spectrum, it is only right that we take a step back into time to examine his exemplary sound ahead of The Revivalist's celebration tonight featuring the Marcus Strickland Quartet at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola. Strickland will be performing two sets with Luis Perdomo, Dezron Douglas and Jeff Watts at 7:30 and 9:30 PM. Take a look at the footage below to remember John Coltrane and his music on his 87th birthday. Get more information about tonight's festivities via Dizzy's.
